GET TO KNOW : Jason Daniels

Get to know Jason Daniels in our latest feature; the blonde hair surfer-looking dude from the Sunshine Coast has just released his debut single ‘T I B’.
What does it stand for? And what’s he all about? Find out in our latest Get To Know feature.

01. Name : Jason Daniels.

02. Where are you based? Sunshine Coast, QLD.

03. How did you get your start in music? Well I started playing guitar, drums and keys at a young age, but I distinctly remember watching a rock concert on DVD when I was maybe eight years old and going to bed that night praying that I would wake up the next day with mad guitar skills… it didn’t exactly happen but I think from that day onwards I played music at every event/function/gig/fair I could! I guess once I was old enough to play in venues it was a natural transition to start doing it full time. I was lucky enough to win a local music competition early last year that gave me a free single fully recorded, mixed and mastered.

04. Give us five words to best describe you as an artist. Groovy, fun, dorky, reflective, not-too-serious (that counts as one word right??)

05. Tell us a little bit about your sound and how it developed. Well my sound is groove based singer/songwriter. I touch on borderline reggae with some songs and folk with others, I guess as I’ve matured with my song writing I’ve tended to gravitate towards a sound that people find fun, relaxing and easy to listen to. Since going solo I’ve also used a loop pedal to allow for beatbox grooves and harmonies to create a fuller sound.

06. Who have been your musical influences? Well I grew up on Beach Boys and I’m super thankful for it!! Their pop sensibility and extensive use of harmonies has had a huge influence on me. Also old school funk/Mowtown acts like Parliament Funkadelic, The Jackson 5, Earth, Wind & Fire, James Brown and Stevie Wonder have played a big role on the groove side of things. As far as more modern artists go, I really love John Mayer, Jason Mraz, The 1975, The Civil Wars, and Gary Clark Jr and take various influences from all of them.

07. What are your favourite songs of all time? Wow that’s a hard question as it changes weekly… ‘Slow Dancing In A Burning Room (John Mayer) maybe?? ‘Fireflies’ (Owl City) and ‘Fix You’ (Coldplay) were my jams for pretty much all of high school. I’m really loving this kinda old school sounding jazz-gospel track by Israel Houghton called ‘Every Prayer’ at the moment; it’s just so beautifully written and the harmonies are so powerful!!

08. What was the first album you bought? It was ‘Mmhmm’ by Relient K. I reckon I could sing every lyric on the album too…

09. Give us a little fun fact about yourself that people might not know. Well I grew up on a farm in the Blue Mountains with my two sisters and we were kinda wild… barefoot, covered in dirt chasing animals… oh and cow poo fights were a common occurrence!! Let’s just say we’ve all (outwardly at least) grown out of it now…

10. What would your chosen career be if music wasn’t an option? Well I reckon I’d either be in the small business field (start a venue or cafe or something) or the design side of things (architect, product design).

11. What’s the best advice you’ve been given in your career? Connect. Music is the greatest vessel to bring people together, to make complete strangers family, don’t ever underestimate that. Aim to make your music connect.

12. Tell us about your latest release. Well I released my debut single ‘T I B’! It stands for ‘Take It Back’ and it’s a fun groovy little tune talking about the influence of the world on who we think we are. I played every instrument you hear in the recording which was so much fun! I was like a little kid running around the studio adding different parts to the song. It’s currently available on all online music stores!

13. What do your future plans involve? Well I’m gonna head back into the studio later this year to complete an EP which is really exciting! Then hopefully I’ll get to travel further afield to play my tunes.

14. Where can our audience catch you live? Well I’m currently playing around the Sunshine Coast/Brisbane region on a weekly basis, I post my upcoming gigs on socials normally. Also there’s a few potential festival dates in the mix for later this year, which I’m stoked about!